Category Archives: Features

On the evening of Sofia Claremont’s seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.

Will she succeed? …or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

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Excerpt from A Shade of Vampire

I’d been meandering along the shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn’t alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?”

I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father had told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over, taking in his appearance. My eyes widened. I couldn’t find words to describe how fine a man he was. He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and dark hair. Standing beside me, he was easily more than half a foot taller. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s.

My gaze settled on his face.

I realized that he was inspecting me just as closely as I was him. His eyes on me suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. I gave my father’s advice a second thought, but quickly canceled out all notions of heeding to his counsel when I reminded myself that he stopped caring a long time ago.

I straightened to my full height and mustered all the courage I had to keep myself from running away from this stranger.

Big mistake.

The confident smirk didn’t leave his face for even a moment.

“Like what you see?”

“A bit full of yourself, aren’t you?” I scoffed, annoyed by his audacity.

He stepped forward, closer to me, and leaned his head toward mine.

“Don’t I have the right to be?”

He knew he looked good and wasn’t about to act like he didn’t.

“Whatever,” was my oh-so-brilliant comeback.

My shoulders sagged with defeat as I took a step back, unsettled by how close he was now. I rolled my eyes and did a one-eighty, not quite in the mood to play whatever game this stranger was proposing.

I would soon realize that I was about to play his game whether I liked it or not.

He grabbed my arm and turned my body to face him. This motion alone made every single internal alarm I had within me go off in a frenzy.

This man was danger and I knew it. I tried to wriggle away from his touch, but I was no match for his strength.

“Tell me your name,” he commanded.

I was about to refuse, but was horrified to find myself blurting out my name in response.

“Sofia Claremont.”

As soon as I revealed my name, his eyes lit up with a kind of sinister approval. Then he reached for my face and traced his thumb over my jaw line.

“Hello, Sofia Claremont. You’re one stupid girl for taking a walk alone at this time of night. You never know what kind of evil a pretty little thing like you could happen to come by.”

I found myself wondering exactly what kind of evil he was. But I was suddenly overcome by the sensations that were surrounding me. My senses took in everything at once. I heard the waves, felt the sand, smelled the ocean salt, tasted the flavor of cherry and saw the stranger’s manic appearance as he stuck a needle to my neck. The effect was instant. I was barely able to gasp, much less scream. I went from sensing everything to sensing absolutely nothing.

Today, I have Thomas Amo with me who is going to answer some questions relating to his book Forever Me.

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview!

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Q: I understand Forever ME is inspired by true events. Tell us how that came about?

A: I was just about to leave the house one morning when I caught a segment on morning television about a group of teen girls at a Texas high school who had organized a group called, “Redefining Beautiful.” They were trying to encourage fellow female students to go one day a week without makeup. They were stressing that you don’t need makeup to be beautiful. I was so amazed by their bravery and confidence to go against type, especially in high school and at an age where girls feel the most awkward with themselves. A close friend of mine who is a film producer had been asking me if I had anything I was working on I could share with him. By time the segment was over, I had the basic plot in my head and before I left the house, I already knew the ending of the story. I phoned my producer friend and told him I had something, we met that afternoon and I pitched the idea to him as a film. He loved the concept and told me he was interested. Could I write the screenplay? I went to work right away. But about 50 pages in, I found these characters were so lifelike, I felt it needed to be a book, it could always be a film later. I called my friend back, said, I have to write this as a novel. With his blessing and two years later. Forever ME was published.

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Q: How are teen girls responding to a book written by male?

A: I was concerned about that. Would they relate to it? Would it seem real to them? Or would it come across as a guy giving his version of what he think teen girls are like today? Well, to my pleasant surprise, teen girls are sending me emails, tweets, and telling me, they completely relate to the situations, they’ve said, “OMG, that is so me!” “I’m just like Hannah!” Or they know girls like Shelby and the Stilettos. Or jerk guys who treat them like property. I got plenty of praise from some parents even grandparents on Forever ME, but the real vindication comes from the teens who love it. I couldn’t ask for better than that! (Plus I have a 19 year old daughter, so I wasn’t totally in the dark.) But I did do my research.

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Q: What did you learn about teen girls that you didn’t know?

A: A lot! I learned that some girls lose precious hours of sleep by getting up at sometimes between 3 and 4 a.m. to begin their daily regiment of getting ready for school to make themselves look “normal” or what they feel they must look like to their friends and fellow students. Girls are under tremendous pressure to always look a certain way, weigh a certain amount. Often it is self-imposed, even the prettiest girls feel insecure about their looks. Girls who are bullied often feel completely alone with no one to turn to. Even if schools have zero tolerance for bullying, there’s always an unspoken rule to not tell. Being bullied is embarrassing, especially when girls get publically humiliated in school and other students stand by, watching or laughing. School can more often than not, feel like prison instead of an educational institution.

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Q: Speaking of Bullying, there’s quite a lot of it in Forever ME. Were you attempting to send a message?

A: Actually no I wasn’t. Not consciously anyway. My wife pointed out to me that bullying wasn’t just limited to the students. Friends bullied each other and even parents bullied their teens. It made me realize, there are many different ways for kids to be bullied, like there are as many forms of abuse. It’s not always physical but it is always damaging.

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Q: I see in several past reviews Forever ME gets compared to the film, “Mean Girls.” Did that have any influence on your writing?

A: Not at all, I have not seen the film. So I’m always surprised when someone compares it to that film. I imagine since the subject matters are similar I can see how someone could draw that conclusion. It was important to me in the beginning that my main character, Hannah was not the new girl at a school. That’s always tough on a teen to be the new kid. I wanted her to have her own friends, a well-adjusted home life and content with her life as it was. It was only when she crossed the invisible line of mixing with the social elite did it present a problem in her life. Wichita Falls is a place where a girl from her side of town is often reminded it’s best if she stays there.

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About the author

Thomas Amo is the author over 20 comedies and farces for the live theatre. This former full time theatrical producer has spent the last thirty years writing in many different genres, from pilot scripts for television to screenplays on independent films. Outside acting, directing and producing, his first love has always been writing. Forever ME, marks his debut into YA fiction

Like this:

Monday! Day #17! Today will be Manga Monday! I apologize for not having Manga Monday last week but I was preoccupied with finals. I’m sure you understand. Life comes first but here I am! For my first “real” Manga Monday I will be doing a review of one of my favorite Manga/Anime. Vampire Knight.

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Synopsis

Cross Academy is an elite boarding school with two separate, isolated classes: the Day Class and the Night Class. On the surface, Yuuki Cross and Zero Kiryuu are prefects of the academy, and attempt to keep order between the students as classes rotate in the evenings. As the night class is full of utterly gorgeous elites, this can sometimes prove to be a bit difficult. It is completely necessary, however, as those “elites” are actually vampires. Yuuki and Zero act as guardians, protecting the secrets of the Night Class and the safety of the ignorant day class.

As the adopted daughter of the academy’s chairman, Yuuki takes her job with a serious and energetic attitude. It also allows her to interact with her secret crush and savior, the night class’ dorm president, Kaname Kuran. Zero, on the other hand, has a deep-rooted hatred against vampires, and at times, does not hesitate to kill.

Can vampires and humans co-exist, even in the strict setup of the Cross Academy? Only time will tell.

Synopsis from MyAnimeList.net

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I love the art style as well as the detail in the drawings. The uniforms are different and I like that the night class has contrasting colors to the day class. (will be explained later in series) The little joking comments or faces thrown into series scenes makes the series fun and enjoyable. I love how enthusiastic Yuuki is while Zero always looks exasperated. For girls or even boys who tend to swoon when reading about vampires, this is a series for them. I must warn you it is rated for older teen. This is my first time reading the manga, I am not sure it will directly follow the anime but in the second season of the anime it gets controversial. Just FYI… (I don’t want to spoil anything for new readers.)

I love the characters and details in the art as I have said. The first volume is very much a prologue to the whole series, introducing all the characters and just touching on the beginning of the plot. I felt it was a good introduction to the series.

Now before I end this I have to discuss the cover. I LOVE IT! Love how the roses blend with the torn page and the expressions for the first books are good. Essentially it is a love triangle.

25 Days of Blogging – Day #5

Blogger Spotlight (2) Realm Of Fiction

Today I am doing a blogger spotlight featuring Realm of Fiction.

1. Who is your favorite author & why?

My favorite author is J. K. Rowling. I know that’s perhaps a very typical answer, but she really is. Reading hasn’t always played such a large part in my life. In fact, for quite a long time, I hardly ever read for pleasure. The only times you might have seen a book in my hand was when I was required to for English during my school years. Enter Harry Potter and that all changed – fast. I owe it to J.K. Rowling for showing me just how fun reading could be. She deserves the Favorite Author spot for that alone.

2. How did you find out about blogging & why did you start yourself?

Funnily enough, I didn’t even know book blogging was a thing until a few months before I started! I only found out about blogging when I followed a link on Twitter to a book giveaway on someone’s blog. I won the giveaway and went back to thank the blogger and started talking to her about book blogging. From there I found out about Goodreads and started writing my own reviews for a while. Because I enjoyed posting reviews on Goodreads so much – and talking about the books I loved – I decided I wanted to post them in my own space too. And that’s when Realm of Fiction was born.

3. Favorite characters: male & female?

Favourite male character: Ron Weasley. I hesitated for a minute there and was very tempted to say Harry Potter, but if I really think about it, Ron made me smile a whole lot more. His personality is incredibly entertaining.

Favourite female character: Kami from Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan. You know, if I had to pick someone a few months ago, my answer would have been different. It’s so much more difficult for me to choose a favourite female character as most of the protagonists in the books I read are female. I’m going for Kami right now as I am still thinking about her! If you’ve read Unspoken, you will have met her and her infectious quirkiness. 🙂

4. Book/Series you wish you could live in?

Before I answer all these questions with Potter-related answers, I’m going to momentarily expel Harry Potter from my thoughts! (Though, obviously, that would be my first choice!). I think the series I’d most like to live in is The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. Just the thought of being in that magical world is enough to make me fantasise.

5. Paperback or Hardback or Audiobook or Ebook?

This is a hard question! I read books – including my favourite books – in all of these formats, though I do have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of audiobooks. I guess paperback and ebook is what I tend to go for the most, but I can’t choose between them.

6. A bit about yourself, besides reading?

This is where I make myself sound interesting but end up failing miserably. 😉 Let see… I am a music enthusiast. I adore anything Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Coldplay, The XX and Kings of Leon. I love Doctor Who will all my heart (even the not-so-great episodes!) and will always allocate time in my schedule to watch it. When I’m not doing that or reading, I’ll most likely be stargazing. I consider myself an amateur astronomer. Emphasis on the amateur.

7. If you were trapped on an island and could only bring 3 books with you what would they be?

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and (to cheer me up a little!) Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.

“In My Mailbox” is a meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren that allows book bloggers to share the books they’ve received in the past week. They can be your own purchases, borrowed from friends, library checkouts, from publishers, won from a contest, etc.”

By Phillipa Gregory. Been waiting a long time to get my hands on this. I have already seen the movie, but I am still interested to read the book. I love this time era and especially the stories surrounding King Henry the 8th.

By Carolly Erickson. Just like The Other Bolyn Girl it’s this same era and another telling of the story. Found out about this book about a week or two ago. I had entered a giveaway for it but didn’t win. The book souded interesting and I happened to find it yesterday. Happy I did.

Another book I’ve been thinking about recently. Finally found it at an independent bookstore. Which is where I got all three of these books by the way. I do plan on reading all of these fairy tales maybe I will do tiny reviews on the individual fairy tales. Who knows. Excited for all of the books I’ve gotten recently.

By Jackson Pierce. A retelling of Red Riding Hood. I am excited for this book and have been waiting to get my hands on it for a long, long time. I received this book from someone in Guam via Paperbackswap.

“In My Mailbox” is a meme hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren that allows book bloggers to share the books they’ve received in the past week. They can be your own purchases, borrowed from friends, library checkouts, from publishers, won from a contest, etc.”

By Ilsa J. Bick. I’ve been wanted to get my hands on this for awhile. Happy I finally have a copy. Will hopefully read this soon.

It could happen tomorrow . . .

An electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device, wiping out every computerized system, and killing billions.

Alex hiked into the woods to say good-bye to her dead parents and her personal demons. Now desperate to find out what happened after the pulse crushes her to the ground, Alex meets up with Tom—a young soldier—and Ellie, a girl whose grandfather was killed by the EMP.

For this improvised family and the others who are spared, it’s now a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.

Author Ilsa J. Bick crafts a terrifying and thrilling novel about a world that could be ours at any moment, where those left standing must learn what it means not just to survive, but to live amidst the devastation.

By Jonathan Mayberry. Heard some good things. Been wanted another zombie book to read.

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn’t want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life – and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

By Laurell K. Hamilton. #20 in the Anita Blake series. Yes, I have read all previous books. I am currently reading Bullet which I am enjoying so far.

Watch a video
A serial killer is hunting the Pacific Northwest, murdering victims in a gruesome and spectacular way. The local police suspect “monsters” are involved, and have called in Anita Blake and Edward, U.S. Marshals who really know their monsters, to catch the killer.

My first Blogger/Vlogger spotlight! Today I have with me Misty from The Book Rat. She was kind enough to agree to my interroga err… questioning for my meme.

She blogs & vlogs and tells it like it is. She is pretty eclectic in her reading and doesn’t sugarcoat things. Has awesome video’s and book chats and keeps book news interesting. You can check her out by clicking her links. Website / Youtube / GoodReads

On with the questioning!

What is your favorite author? YA & Adult and why? I try not to pick “favorites” of things because it’s all very mood-based (which is funny because I ask people who friend request me on Goodreads what their favorite book is – but mostly it’s to watch them squirm…) If forced to choose, I normally choose in categories: favorite dead author = Jane Austen; favorite living adult author = David Mitchell (most of the time. Margaret Atwood and Toni Morrison are often named, too); favorite YA author is a toss-up. Could be anybody, depending on what I’m reading and loving at the moment.

Your favorite stand alone novel & series? And why? I’m going to give you adult and YA: Adult stand-alone = number9dream by David Mitchell (with Cloud Atlas a close 2nd) – both books just blew me away in their scope and creativity; YA stand-alone = Anne of Green Gables. I know it’s a series, but I love it on its own. I don’t necessarily have a favorite series, though there are many I love. But honorable mention to the Alanna series by Tamora Pierce.

Who would your book boyfriend be? Oh man. Can I be polygamous? I’m going to plead the 5th on this, because I have to keep my options open in case one of them calls…

Book/Series you wish you could live in? So many! But maybe just visit, not live…

Book/Series that got you into reading?I have always been into reading. Even before I could. I am a language person, I love words and started talking really early, so I guess it was unavoidable. But the first 2 books I remember being inseparable from were The Velveteen Rabbit and Where the Wild Things Are.

Paperback or Hardback or Audiobook or E-book? I’ve come to find I like hardback more, which didn’t use to be the case.

What do you like to do besides reading? General nerdy things. I like making cards for people and getting all crafty, and I love to cook.

Who are your favorite bloggers or vloggers and why? (Up to 5) Oh, this just isn’t fair. There are many more than this, but I’m going with the ones I’ve loved longest and/or know more personally: Allison from The Allure of Books, Liz from Consumed by Books, April from Good Books and Good Wine, everyone from Forever Young Adult, The Readables, Danny Marks – the list could go on and on. (Ooops, that was 6. Too late!)

If you were trapped on an island and could only bring five books with you, which would you bring? These are mean questions. The Complete Works of Jane Austen (not cheating, since it is 1 volume), Anne of Green Gables, Annotated Works of Shakespeare (good variety, and all the notes would keep me entertained forever), Daughter of the Forest, and I don’t know about the last one. It would be a gamble, and something I haven’t read.

That’s it for today’s spotlight. If you have someone you would like to be spotlighted be sure to comment with their link of if you yourself would like to be spotlighted send me an email at hellokittymailbox@aol.com.

“In My Mailbox” is a meme hosted by Kristi @The Story Siren that allows book bloggers to share the books they’ve received in the past week. They can be your own purchases, borrowed from friends, library checkouts, from publishers, won from a contest, etc.”

by Philippa Gregory. I love this period in history and I’ve been watching shows and reading about it for awhile. I’ve heard good things about Gregory’s writing so I’m looking forward to reading some of her books.